The “Raw” Burger
No, it’s not raw meat, we said this was veggie burger week after-all, but this burger is “raw” because it has not been cooked over 118 degrees. You may have already heard of the raw foods diet, in fact, a book that I picked up a little over a year ago about this type of diet was part of the inspiration behind this site.
A raw foodie’s diet is typically a vegan diet consisting of uncooked fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds and various super-foods like goji berries. It’s based on the idea that by not cooking food beyond a certain temperature, the enzymes and all the other good stuff in these foods remain “alive” and are better suited to nourish your body in this state. Thus, raw recipes that are designed to mimic the traditional favorite cooked foods like the burger pictured above will usually call for a dehydrator instead of an oven to achieve a “cooked” texture in order to avoid actually having to cook the food.
This recipe is straight from one of my favorite raw food cookbooks, Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen (this burger is pictured on the cover) by Ani Phyo, which has tons of simple, tasty raw creations that I have been experimenting with over the past year like this one. But this was my first attempt at her “Sun Burgers” which came pretty well and tasted even better after dehydrating for about three hours. Phyo also lists in the book a raw Sesame Sunflower Bread recipe for the bun and even has a raw ketchup and mustard!
Ani’s Sun Burgers
from Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen
2 stalks of celery, finely chopped, about 3/4 cup
1/4 c yellow onion, chopped
1/2 c red bell peppers, chopped
1 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. oregano, fresh or dried
1 c sunflower seeds, ground
1/2 c flax seeds, ground
1/2 c water
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, adding the water last. Form four balls and flatten into the burger patty shape. You can enjoy as is or dehydrate for about three hours.
My only complaint is that the bread recipe she suggested for the bun was made up of predominately the same ingredients (but in different amounts) which made the Sun Burger and the bread a bit overwhelming together. Next time I would either find a new “bun” recipe, make it an open face burger with a portobella mushroom cap or I would crumble it up over a salad.
The Burger as a Bun
I have to admit that I am not as well-versed in my veggie burgers as Rhaya. But thanks to Amanda from Pasdena, CA, who sent us a link to a recipe she loves for black lentil burgers, I stumbled upon the recipe for the burgers pictured above on the same wonderful food blog by Heidi Swanson, author of Super Natural Cooking.
This ”Ultimate Veggie Burger“ is made up of fiber-rich chickpeas, eggs, onion, cilantro, micro-sprouts, lemon zest and breadcrumbs. But the fun part about Heidi’s take on the veggie burger is that the “patty” actually becomes the bun that you can stuff with lots of great fillings like avocado, tomato, grilled veggies, or you name it.
I halved the recipe but otherwise followed it to the letter. However, I ended up making my patties a little too thick to be even close to as pretty as those pictured along with the original recipe. But I will definately be making these again, they were delicious! I thought the hint of lemon zest made the burger which tasted wonderful with the avocado slices and a sprinkling of cayenne I stuffed in the middle.
Bulgur & Black Bean Burgers
I was intrigued when I first saw this Bulgur Burger recipe on the The Daily Green because I had never heard of bulgur before. It turns out that bulgur is a form of whole wheat that is more nutritious than rice or couscous, easy to cook, and sold in bulk at Whole Foods.
I decided to give it a go and moderated the recipe as usual (meaning that I skipped out on some of the ingredients, and cut the entire portion in half). The allspice flavor definitely comes through on these burgers, so make sure you substitute it out if you are not an allspice fan.
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup organic course bulgur
1/2 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon organic plain fat-free yogurt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Boil water with a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to low; stir in bulgur; cover and simmer for about 5 minutes (or until water is absorbed). Meanwhile, mash the black beans with the yogurt. Add in the bulgur and allspice and form into patties. Heat the burgers in a skillet on medium heat, turning once until lightly browned.
We ate ours on spelt buns with lettuce and tomato. The Daily Green also recommends topping it with a cucumber-mint-yogurt blend.
Lentil Burgers
This recipe comes from my sister-in-law Allison, and like her oatmeal, I think her homemade veggie burgers are the best I have ever tasted. When I asked her for the recipe, she said that no two veggie burgers she made were ever the same, and instead just gave me the list of ingredients and left me to fend for myself on quantities of each. Lentils are the main ingredient in this recipe, which make these burgers high in fiber and a good source of protein (about 9 grams per half cup).
Below is the mixture I used, and it made six patties. As Allison said, the quantities of each ingredient are really up to you, but the real trick is getting the patties to stick together (the egg helps tremendously). Adding a slice of cheese on top also does the trick.
1 cup cooked lentils
4 oz tofu
1/2 cup crushed walnuts
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup oats
2 small eggs
onions *
cilantro *
minced garlic *
* to taste
Mix the above ingredients and form into patties. Cook the patties on the stove top, on medium heat, in a pan with generous amounts of olive oil. Wait as long as possible to flip the patty the first time, to reduce the chances of it falling apart when you do.
Once finished, serve the patties as you would a traditional hamburger. We topped ours with lettuce and tomato and ate them on toasted spelt buns.
J-E-L-L-O
Ever heard of Agar? It’s a red sea vegetable that takes the place of gelatin in this easy recipe making it a vegan alternative to regular jello. Agar, also know as Kanten in the East, is very good for the digestive track, high in iodine, calcium and phosphorus. By heating and then cooling Agar, it works as a gelling agent in jello, jellies and puddings. So loose the pre-packaged brand and try this simple recipe.
Vegan Jello
1 cup fruit juice (like black cherry pictured above)
1 tsp. agar-agar powder
Bring juice to a boil over medium heat. Whisk in the agar powder until completely disolved and let simmer for a few minutes. Pour into a glass dish or jello mold and let cool until set. Agar does not need to be refrigerated to set, but it will speed up the process. Double or triple the recipe to make a bigger batch and make it more fun for kids by letting them help you cut it into jiggly shapes!
A Sweet & Spicy Snack Mix
My husband is off to ski for the weekend with some buddies, so I thought I would make up a big batch of home-made snack mix for the boys to munch on. If you have ever even glanced at the nutritional information or the ingredients of the popular pre-bagged mix, you’ll know why I’d prefer to make my own! Plus, it’s more fun to personalize it with your own favorites and snack a little in the process. Below is a recipe using some of my favorites that I found in about 10 minutes just walking through the bulk and cereal isle at the co-op.
Sweet & Spicy Healthy Mix
makes about 12 cups
Preheat the oven to 350, and prepare 2 sheet pans with a non-stick cooking spray.
the sweet and spicy kick:
Combine in a small bowl with a whisk and set aside:
4 Tbsp. Wizards Worcestershire Sauce
4 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. chilli powder
1 clove of garlic, minced (or 1/2 Tbsp. garlic powder)
the “chex-like” bulk
Combine in a really big bowl:
3 cups Heathly Valley Rice Crunch ‘Ems
3 cups Mother’s Toasted Oat Bran
2 cups oat sesame sticks
the good stuff
1 cup each of the Sunspire Natural Chocolate Drops, Original and Peanut (they look and taste just like M&Ms but are a lot better for you!)
2 cups Newman’s Own Organics Protein Pretzels
the mix
-Pour the worcestershire-honey mixture over the cereal mix and gently stir to distribute as evenly as possible.
-Spread the mixture over the 2 pans and bake for about 15-20 minutes, stirring gently 1-2 times during the baking.
-Let the mixture cool either on paper towels or new pans. Once the mixture has cooled completely, gently mix in the “good stuff.
The best thing about this recipe is that you can really make it your own by changing the amounts of the ingredients you like, or don’t like, and by adding your own “good stuff” like raisins, sunflower seeds, nuts, or chocolate covered something or other. Be creative and go crazy.
Cottage Pie Gone Local
This time of year, everyone’s in the mood for some good ’ol comfort food and this local twist on Shepherd’s Pie fits the bill. Cottage Pie, or “Shepherd’s Pie” is traditionally an English dish made up of ground meat, mashed potato and seasonings. But this Squash Topped Cottage Pie in the most recent issue of Eating Well caught my eye as I new I could incorporate some of my favorite local ingredients, one being squash of course.
I made this a mostly-local dish by making a few changes to the original recipe found here. First, I used a whole, local Butternut Squash from a local farm instead of frozen squash chunks, which did add some time to the dish but it really is pretty simple to bake, scoop, and puree the real deal. Also, I used local ground beef, local whole garlic instead of garlic powder and a little bit of local cheddar cheese finely shredded over the top (instead of the Parmesan). And finally, I used one big pot instead of individual ramekins (only because I don’t have 10 oz. ramekins), baking the dish for about 15 minutes first and then finishing it off under the broiler. Makes 4 generous, yummy, servings.
Mama’s Frittata
The following is a recipe from Victoria Wesseler of GOING LOCAL. She gave this recipe as her favorite of all time. Check out the interview and read why this recipe close to her heart.
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and very thinly sliced into rounds
4 eggs
Heat the oil, over medium high heat, in a large non-stick pan. When the oil is hot, carefully add the potatoes, overlapping them in the pan. Turn the heat down to medium.
Do not stir or move the potatoes. After a few minutes, check them to see if they are browned on the bottom. When they are golden brown, flip them over (don’t worry if you break them as you do this).
Break the eggs and add them to the pan, distributing them evenly. Stir them gently with a fork to break the yolks and cook them until they are cooked through.
Serve immediately.
Serves 2.
Squash & Kale Risotto
Squash and Kale. What a great local food combo for this time of year. This dish makes a nice filling, ”comfort food” type of meal this time of year without being overly heavy. Skip the white rice and use something a little healthier like brown or basmati, you may have to cook it a little longer but it’s worth it!
Winter Squash and Kale Risotto
Adapted from a recipe by the National Cancer Institute
2 tsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. short grained rice
1/4 c. pine nuts
20 oz. vegetable broth
1 small to medium winter squash (Butternut worked well for me)
2 c. fresh kale, rinsed well and chopped
1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan chees
Pre-heat oven to 400. Peel, seed and chop the squash into 1 inch cubes. Toss the squash with a little olive oil and place into a glass baking dish, pop it into the oven for about 30 minutes or until tender.
When squash is about halfway done, start a few tbsp. of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add salt, onion, and garlic, and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in the rice and pine nuts, and toast for about 2 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add 1/2 cup broth; cook on medium-low heat stirring often until liquid is almost absorbed. Continue to add about 1/2 of a cup at a time, stirring often until each addition is nearly absorbed before adding the next.
After 10 oz of the broth has been added and nearly absorbed, stir in the diced squash with the next addition of a 1/2 cup. Add the remaining broth 1/2 cup at a time as before. With the last 1/2 cup, stir in the kale and cook the mixture until all the broth is absorbed and the kale is soft and bright.
Serve with a little freshly grated Parmesan over the top. Makes about 4 servings.
“Keen-wah”
Once considered sacred to the Incas and usually thought of as a grain, Quinoa (”Keen-wah”) comes from the seed of the chenopodium quinoa plant which is actually related to green leafy veggies like swiss chard and spinach. The World’s Healthiest Foods reports that it’s a complete protien, and full of many other nutrients like manganese.
The great thing about quinoa is that it’s incredibly versatile and easy to cook. Just add 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water and bring to a boil over the stove. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed and you can fluff with a fork. You will know when it is ready because it will have a little white curly Q look to it.
I purchased some in bulk on the cheap at the local co-op and, since I really liked this stuffed squash recipe a few months ago, I decided to try a Quinoa-Stuffed Acorn Squash dish for my first go at making this wonderful “grain” at home. You could also use it as a substitute for white rice in stir fry, as a breakfast food mixed with oats, and I’ve since used it in a fabulous gluten-free Quinoa and Black Bean Chili.
Quinoa-Stuffed Acorn Squash
Adapted from the “Joy of Cooking: All About Vegetarian Cooking”
1 acorn squash, halved and seeded
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 c chopped onions
1/2 c quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 c vegetable stock
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup chopped almonds toasted
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
4 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350. Arrange acorn squash cut side down in a baking pan. Add 1/2 inch of water to the pan and cover with aluminum foil. Bake until the squash are tender, about 30-40 minutes. Take the squash out and let cool, leave the oven on.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, stirring until golden, about 5 minutes. Add quinoa, stirring until toasted, about 3 minutes. Stir in the stock , salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the liquid is absorbed, about 10-15 minutes. Uncover and cool slightly.
Stir in the nuts, parsley, and 2 tbsp. of the cheese. Spoon mixture into the squash cavities. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining cheese. Bake until heated through, about 20 minutes.
